Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-10-18
The OLD STONE FORT.
An american Antiquity Located In C"fIee
County, Tennessee.

An American Antiquity Located In C"nfe
County, Tennessee.
II the concentric rings in trees are
correct index of their age, that my :
terious structure near Manchester COT
fee County, Tenn. called the Old
Stone Fort is of very ancient origin.
The trees growing on the rude stone
walls that surround the old structure
show by their rings, fully five hundred
wears growth. These trees, now D.
ing cut away, are the only witnesses to
the age of the stone work. VIII their
testimony be accepted by historians
win the antiquarians ever find out who
built that old stone fort, and for what
rurrcsee u any investigators wish to
examine these old trees, they should do
so pretty soon, as they are rapidly dis
appearing.
There is nothing in Tennessee. or II
the South. whose antiquity is so myS-
FERROUS and entirely beyond the do
main o. decent speculation AS the OLD
Stone Fort, which is about one mils
and a half below the town of Man
chester.
The two prongs Of Duck River come
within. say. two hundred yards oi
each other. and thcn widen out, maxi
ing territory Of perhaps ono ihou-
sand acres In the forks OF the river,
aud below the Narrows. At the Mar
rows the fort commences by a stone
wall. now covered with earth. running
from one river to the other. and there
the walls are built along the banks OF
both rivers down to a point where a
canal had been cut from one river
To the other; there wall il
made from one river to the other,
perhaps quarter OF mile. On the
outside Of this wall is a hollow, and in
this hollow is the sign OF the canal or
cut evidently intended To protect the
fort by both the wall and the canal.
From the upper 10 the lower wall.
at places. there are high bluffs on both
rivers. Wherever this bluf-preci
piious-is found. there is no wall. buI
wherever there Is no natural barrier
the wall ia built The entrance to the
fort was at the upper end, and til,
gateways show that the builders wer'
doing their work intelligently. The
entrance is by narrow pass-way. will
walks on either side, aud Offsets SO a.
the enemy on the outside from
having direct entrance for them
selves, and SO as to protect those on the
inside from missiles from the outside
The fort contains forty-seven acres
and Is, or was when the writer frs
saw H. heavily timberod, many of tn
trees OF large size growing on top Of
the walls
Colonel Sam Murray. who settle,
| there about 1908 cut one of the tree
from the top Of the wall and found
10 be about five hundred years old
One mile up the river from the fort i
an immense mound the largest on
perhaps In the country-making
| probable the fort was built by tn
mound builders. Beyond this nobod
knows anything about it. Colone
Murray, who was q man of high inte
| ligence. claimed To have conferred wit
the Indians of different tribes, br
none of them could give him any az
count OF ii, either by tradition or oil
erwise.
This fort is one of the many CIV
dences that in this country. at som
remote period, there was race 4,
people Of more stability and INTEL
gence than the rowing Indians whol
the first settlers found. -Ndshril
A,lsrirnlz